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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Korean automaker Kia is looking to attract more entry-level luxury sedan customers with its new high-tech featured Cadenza model. Forecasting annual sales of 12,000 units, Kia is aiming at the likes of Lincoln MKZ, Acura TL and Lexus ES on the US market.

Speaking to Automotive News, the company’s executive vice president of marketing, Michael Sprague, said Kia is also going for after drivers who are buying range-topping Ford Taurus and Chrysler 300 models.

“We standardized leather, we standardized navigation because we’re going after people who are buying the high-end Tauruses, the high-end Avalons the high-end Chrysler 300s, the Acura TLs, the Lexus ES and the Lincoln MKZ. That’s where we see the opportunity,” Sprague revealed.

Priced from $35,100 plus $800 destination fee, the 2014 Kia Cadenza will hit the US market with three different trim levels. Each version will be powered by a 3.3-liter V6 engine paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox for 293 hp.

In addition, the 2014 Cadenza will be offered with a free maintenance program that includes five factory-scheduled appointments valid for three years. The program will be available for customers who will fully or lease purchase the full-size sedan.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

SAN DIEGO, CA (KDKA) – The folks at Kia — who have, by the way, been doing nothing but a bang up job at rolling out vehicles that give you bang for the buck — say that after the top of the line Optima sedan, their customers who want more have nowhere to go but another brand. That’s why the Cadenza was born.

A little bigger and much more upscale, the Cadenza is Kia’s first attempt at keeping that customer who wants to move up from moving out of a Kia store and into somebody else’s entry level luxury sedan. So the first question is, how did they do?

After spending a day rolling around the hills outside of San Diego, the short verdict is not bad. The Cadenza is a sharp looking car with the distinctive front grille and lamp treatment made a bit more distinctive. A sharp profile with well-placed lines and an athletic looking stance give way to a fairly Audi-esque looking rear complete with oval dual exhaust ports.

High marks on fit and finish inside

Inside, the Cadenza gets high marks on fit and finish as well as materials. A 10-way power driver’s seat with heating and cooling and six-way passenger seat with just heating come with the car. The rear seats are also heated. Legroom is more than ample, especially in the rear when they put that extra two inches they stretched the platform.

The dash is well laid out, logical, and Kia’s UVO e-services system is among the best in the business. It takes connecting you to the car to a new level. It also comes with a 10-year free subscription and smartphone app. The fully loaded Cadenza I spent the day in also included a spectacular Infinity sound system and panoramic sunroof.

Under the hood and the drive feel

Under the hood the Cadenzagets Kia’s 3.3-liter 6-cylinder that cranks out 293 horses. Married up to Kia’s 6-speed automatic, it moved the sedan through the hills quite briskly. Paddle shifters are included with every model and give you a bit more of the sports sedan feel. Jumping onto the freeway is done without laboring the engine and passing on a two-lane road when safe is done with confidence that the engine has more to give if you need it.

The ride is generally solid and confident due to a great set of suspension components, although hitting a number of potholes can be a bit jarring. Steering is light, with minimal road feel, but the Cadenza never felt hinky on curves. Braking was solid and confident.

Pricing and gas costs

One of the great things about the Cadenza is that as I said you get bang for your buck, especially when it comes to safety. Distronic cruise control, blind spot warning, lane departure control and a number of other safety systems usually found in cars costing more are in the Cadenza.

Kia starts the Cadenza at $35,100 pretty well loaded. Add technology and luxury packages and you get to $41,100-plus destination. It is without a doubt a lot of car for the money. Fuel mileage figures: 19 city, 28 highway. In my day in the Kia with combined freeway and rural driving, we averaged 22 mpg. The Cadenza uses regular unleaded gas.

An overall impressive drive

The Cadenza is an impressive effort by Kia. In eight hours or so of driving it, I came away with almost the same thought I had when I drove its cousin the Hyundai Azera: a solid effort to create a better than you would expect car. It’s one that should keep the Kia buyer that wants more, in a Kia showroom. How will it do against the Maximas, Avalons, Taurus’ and Impalas of the automotive jungle? Ah…that my friends is the $41,100 question!

Get more reviews, news about cars and the people who drive them, interviews and tips on how to get more out of your driving experience all on Drivetime with Vinnie Richichi and Rob Pratte Saturday mornings 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA. Also listen to Vinnie on The Vinnie and Cook Show Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sportsradio 93-7 The Fan.source

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

SENIOR ONLINE EDITOR RORY CARROLL After a weekend of freeway driving in the mighty Subaru BRZ long-termer, I was ready to make my commute in something really comfortable. It's not that the BRZ is uncomfortable, but it isn't a long-distance highway cruiser.

I was a little disappointed to find that I'd been assigned to the 2013 Kia Optima SXL. I hadn't driven one, but I assumed that comfort was out of the question. I should have known better.

The Kia Optima is among the very best in its class. It's better than the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat. It's reasonably quick, totally comfortable and it's even a bit of a looker.

Let's start there. While VW seems to be following Toyota and Honda deep into the land of the bland, Kia and parent Hyundai have brought sharp, innovative design to the masses. The Optima's bodywork is unique but conservative. If you're thinking that it looks OK in pictures, but it will look cheap in person, you're wrong.

Now, of course our Optima is a press-fleet special, meaning that few option-sheet boxes were left unchecked. But even at $35,275, the interior is very well designed and even better executed. It exudes quality like a high-spec Volkswagen without the Teutonic minimalism. Fit and finish is world-class and the majority of the materials would not be out of place in a car costing far more.

I didn't have the opportunity to wring the Kia out much, but here's what I can tell you about its performance: The 2.0-liter turbo engine is quiet, refined and at 274 hp, it's more than capable of getting up and sprinting. The brakes were more than adequate and the steering feel was incredibly pleasing. I commuted in the Optima and our long-term Passat TDI back-to-back, and in places where the Passat bounced and wallowed, the Optima was smooth and planted. Incredible.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Overall, I'm impressed with this car. The sticker price makes me “lol” as the kids say, but it's a solid entry in the ultra-competitive midsize wars, and arguably the best looking one of the bunch.

I like 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder. I think it strikes the right balance between performance and economy. For many cars, a 2.0-liter turbo is just right. This is one of them. This is a nice powertrain with good power, little to no lag and is smooth enough. The handling is tight and the steering responsive -- entertaining for the most part. The Optima corners well with some understeer of course.

I'm impressed with the interior -- really impressed. Build quality is way better than I thought it would be with soft-touch materials and nice assembly. Seats are good, though one thing that drove me batty was that the easy-exit front seat was turned on, and I couldn't figure out how to turn it off. And I did look in the owner's manual and everything. A small gripe, but there you go.

All that said I would not pay $35k for this Kia, or any Kia for that matter. When I think about our long-term Passat TDI being $5k less, that cements it. Whether or not they still deserve the reputation, to me Kia still means cheap wheels, and this ain't that. If this car is any indication, Kia has no doubt moved up its game, and eventually I'll probably have to adjust my attitude accordingly. I'll work on that.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: The Optima might be the best-looking car in this class, right up there with the new Ford Fusion, in my opinion. The Kia stands out, attracts positive attention and has a bit of attitude. The styling conveys a presence, and these blinged-out wheels punctuate it all nicely, fronted by an imposing, dark signature “Tiger” grille.

I was impressed with the drive quality. The turbo is powerful; put your foot to the floor and this thing has some getup. It's a smart engine for a machine this size. Pop in a few a shifts via the paddles, and it's a pretty sporty experience. The steering is light on-center, though there's more feel during turn-in. It has the same dynamic as our former long-term Hyundai Sonata (no surprise, they're platform mates), which some of our staff found to be a bit artificial. The Optima does feel that way at times, but most enthusiasts will like the weight of the steering. The chassis is comfortable yet not overly soft. It remains sporty at times, and can handle expressway curves and turns with appropriate guile.

The cabin is sharp, and this execution in black and light gray presents well. The only nits I found were the annoying location of the switch for the seat heaters/coolers. Placed diagonally behind the PRNDL, it was hard to find and remember while at speed.

The real question is: Do you want to drop this much cash for a Kia? I'd argue everything is here that makes it worthwhile, from the looks, to the performance to the options. It just comes down to brand image. Do you want to drive a Kia? What does that mean to you?

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I know the price of this 2013 Kia Optima SXL is alarming at $35,275. That's a lot of coin for a car in this segment. Then there is the reputation that the Korean automaker is still carrying in a lot of consumers' eyes as a budget brand. Altering people's perceptions is going to take good product and a lot of time. With the Optima, the Rio, Sportage and Sorento, I would argue that the Kia does indeed have good product. Now they need to just wait and let the masses eventually learn about the drastically improved product.

Personally, I really like the Optima and have actually recommended it a few people over the past couple of years. As others have mentioned, it's a handsome looking midsize sedan. The lines are simple yet expressive enough for my tastes and the tiger grille up front still looks really good. However, I don't like the chrome wheels or the red-painted front brake calipers.

The interior is a far cry from the uninspired and cheap cabins of the past. The layout is intuitive with large buttons on the center stack, and the curvature of the dash gives it some personality. In some ways, the design reminds me of Saab, which may or may not be a good thing. Materials are very nice and soft-touch all over, including tricot fabric for the headliner.

We're familiar with the guts of this car since we had a long-term Hyundai Sonata 2.0T a couple of years back. It's potent with 274-hp and six-speed automatic cracks off shifts reasonably quick to make merging on the expressway or passing a snap.

The SX's stiffer suspension does come at the expense of how well it damps out bumps, but there is still some give tuned in. As Greg notes, the electric power steering is numb on center to tighten up well with more angle tuned in and possess decent weight, too. Corners can be taken with a decent amount of aggression with the Optima feeling well planted with not much body roll.

In my list of the most entertaining midsize sedans to drive on the market, the Optima is near the top behind the new Mazda 6, but ahead of the new Honda Accord, which many people often write off as a dull driving car when it's surprisingly nimble. If you want dull in this class, look no further than the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

If it's a beauty contest, the 6 and the Optima would again be the top two. Which one do I like better? I'm going to have to think about that one.

Getting back to this fully loaded $35,275 Optima SXL. Most driving off dealer lots I would guess aren't going to be optioned out like this. Kia says that there were customers who asked for a more premium model and they responded with this Limited package. There are a lot of options and the interior is flat out nice with the napa leather-trimmed seats and tasteful wood trim. But even with all that, the as-tested price still seems a little steep. Maybe like Raynal, I still need to adjust my attitude towards Kia some.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

This is Gary Rome and I'm here to talk to you about something much more important than cars. I want to talk to you about our friends and families that were impacted by the tragic events at the marathon. My family at Gary Rome Auto Group came to me and asked me what can we do? We decided to support the Boston One Fund. For every test drive we'll donate $10and $100 for every car purchased. And because we know how important time with our family is, I'm going to give you a $10 gift certificate to Squires Bistro on Main Street in Agawam.

GO TO VIDEOPlease come to Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke or Gary Rome Kia in Enfield and take a test drive and I'll donate $10 to The One Fund and I'll give you a $10 gift certificate to Squires Bistro in Agawam and when you decide to buy from me, I'll then donate $100 to The One Fund. Gary Rome Auto Group, helping those that help us. It doesn't cost any of us extra to be nice!

Sometimes we get as excited over a modestly priced car as we do over the latest exotic. We’re serious. An economy car has to provide more bang for the buck in areas that matter to busy families. So we appreciate when a car delivers. Kia’s all-new 2014 Forte sedan does this surprisingly well. It should hit dealerships any day now.

Appearance: Overall, this new Forte is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor. If you say it resembles the Honda Civic, we won’t correct you. We think so, too — especially in profile. And while Kia probably doesn’t like to hear it, we submit that such suggestions are high praise. (Peter is a Civic owner). This new Forte looks more aggressive; it has Kia’s distinctive black-mesh “tiger-nose” grille and is framed in chrome. The design is tied into aggressively upswept headlights that feature LED “eyebrows.” The lower black-mesh air intake is flanked by fog lights. The body side panels are tastefully creased, recalling its Hyundai cousins’ fluidic design. Complementing this handsome package are sculpted, 17-inch alloy wheels.

Performance: The Forte now comes with two choices: 1.8- and 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines. Our top-of-the-line EX tester had the latter, which gets Kia’s GDI (gasoline direct injection) technology and produces 173 horsepower. The gearbox is a smoothing-shifting, six-speed automatic transmission. This all translates into steady acceleration and more-than-adequate merging power on the highway. Despite its light weight — 2,857 pounds — the Forte’s ride feels solid and assuring, even in high winds. In an example of technology filtering down to more modest cars, our tester came with Kia’s new Flex Steer system that lets the driver choose the feel of its electronic power steering with comfort, normal and sport modes. (Peter didn’t feel much difference between the three settings.)

Interior: The cockpit is quiet, roomy for its class and sensibly laid out with controls all in easy reach for the driver. The cabin has plenty of head, leg and elbow room. Our tester had the EX Premium ($2,600) and EX Technology ($2,300) packages, which include luxury-car features including power sunroof, heated leather seats (including rear), ventilated driver’s seat and heated steering wheel. Overall, Kia does the details well. A few examples: The 7-inch touchscreen is slightly angled on the dash to give the driver a better view. The clock and exterior temperature are placed well within view in a small dash-top screen. One not-so-good placement: The chrome exhaust tip extends out a bit, so if you’re reaching far into the trunk at a certain angle, you might feel the hot metal.